Do great writers rely more on effort or insight?

Effort

9 of 56

by Sarah Torribio

• 

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

It is true that great writing cannot be taught, and this points to the position that great writers rely more on insight than on effort. Effective writing, however, can be taught and this is why, in my own writing career and in my capacity as a writing instructor, I emphasize effort.

I have come across many writers whose writing demonstrates startling originality and profound insight-diamonds in the rough who take my breath away with their potential. Without effort, however, that is just where it all ends: potential. Many writers who have not yet learned how important effort is wind up with a body of work typified by a series of near-misses. Poems go unworkshopped and unfinished. This means that the lines are often uneven in quality, an arbitrary ending may be tacked on, or the poem ends abruptly just as the reader gets started.

The same, of course, goes for short stories and other writing forms. A short story that has not been workshopped, for instance, tends to have a sort of ragged pacing instead of the continuity readers crave. A lazy story writer, like the lazy poet, is easily tempted to end his or her story abruptly or to come up with implausible resolutions that come and save or punish characters like a divine hand. We all get lazy at times, by the way. Beginning writers are less to blame because someone has fed them the notion that writers are more like magicians rather than craftsmen until a writing coach, or time. Needless to say, most fledgling writers never stick to full manuscripts long enough to get a book or novel published.

Effort is also required to market a writer's work. In fact, getting work published is often more arduous than writing even the longest novel. It certainly requires a steep learning curve on the part of most creative types. Writers are rarely discovered in the way that Hollywood starlet Lana Turner was reputedly plucked from obscurity, sitting on a stool at Schwab's drugstore. They must research to find which publications or publishing companies are publishing work like theirs, then submit their work to those markets in a very specific form.

Every publisher, every contest judge, has a slightly different criteria. One publisher might want poems dealing with Judaica printed double-spaced and stuffed in an envelope along with a self-addressed, self-stamped envelope. Another may be looking for novels dealing with the paranormal, and prefer to receive a brief plot description and a query before writers submit their manuscript.

Once the writer begins the submission process, they encounter another difficulty: rejection. Have you ever heard those fabled stories of the best-selling novelist who got rejected a hundred times before someone accepted their work? They are usually true. Writers must have a thick skin to carry on writing and submitting after any number of editors tell them their work just doesn't cut it. They should also pay heed to comments on the part of editors and contest judges. Taste in writing is somewhat arbitrary, so a writer need not be swayed by every word in every response. If a critique rings true, however, or if you hear it often enough, it may be time to reassess your writing or submission style.

Now, there are many great writers out there who haven't learned how to get published. This brings to mind the old Zen riddle: "If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?" If you have a fabulous manuscript stashed in a drawer and nobody reads it, is your work making an impact?

We all know the story of Emily Dickinson, the noted Transcendentalist poet of the 19th century. Dickinson's breathtaking body of work was published posthumously by her relatives. Because she never published, she was a virtual unknown during her lifetime. How many more great unknowns are out there whose legacy might not reflect the same fortune? When an unpublished author dies, it is far more usual for his or her executors to toss out their manuscripts as opposed to actively pursuing posthumous publishing.

There is yet another area in which effort is required of a writer. Every writer gets writer's block, unless perhaps they are Stephen King or Ray Bradbury. According to King, who has seen 150 works published, inspiration requires effort even from the most prolific writers. In his best-selling memoir and writing guide, "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft," King shares that he writes 2,000 words a day when he is working on a book. The ideas, the insight and the inspiration-which he personifies as a surly old man rather than a more lyrical muse-show up because he shows up every day at his desk ready to work. Bradbury seeks to write 1,000-2,000 words each day. It is no wonder he has found the insight to author 11 novels (including the dystopian classic "Fahrenheit 451") and more than 400 novelettes and short stories, as well as an array of poetry, plays, screenplaysand teleplays.

Finally, every writer needs to be pushed to exceed him or herself-to take on new challenges and to grow as a writer.The late Sylvia Plath, for instance, author of the incandescent "Ariel and Other Poems," constantly set herself to exercises. Plath, who received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize, tackled endless writing prompts and tried her hand at any number of poetic forms. She often had her husband, the poet Ted Hughes, challenge her by suggesting subjects for poetry. When she wasn't writing, she was journaling, which she considered a pre-writing exercise. Thus, the seemingly effortless skill that prompted Plath to write some of the most influential poetry of the 20th century arose in great part from effort.

Yes, it is true that great writing cannot be taught. That is not, however, all she wrote, as the saying goes. Good writers, writers with potential, can be coaxed towards greatness via effort. What's more, with hard work, the words of great writers can be led into the light of the published word. If you want to be a great writer, it's time to roll up your sleeves.

Learn more about this author, Sarah Torribio.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.